First drive: 2011 Ford Fiesta photos

CaptionKinetic styling

The Fiesta's rising beltline and sharp nose give the sense of movement; its short overhangs and taut sheet metal look as European as ... well, the European Fiesta that's been sold globally since late 2008. This is not some watered-down U.S. version. It looks good. You wouldn't think it by the Fiesta's narrow stance, but it's actually slightly wider than competitors. It shows in its 34.4-foot turning circle, the biggest of its class. The base Fiesta S has body-colored windows and mirrors -- a premium touch, given its sub-$14,000 price -- while SE models add a body-colored grille. The grille is slightly different between the sedan and hatch. Fifteen-inch alloy wheels are optional on the Fiesta SE. The SEL sedan and SES hatch get 16-inch alloys, along with some nice lighting elements.

The Fiesta's rising beltline and sharp nose give the sense of movement; its short overhangs and taut sheet metal look as European as ... well, the European Fiesta that's been sold globally since late 2008. This is not some watered-down U.S. version. It looks good. You wouldn't think it by the Fiesta's narrow stance, but it's actually slightly wider than competitors. It shows in its 34.4-foot turning circle, the biggest of its class. The base Fiesta S has body-colored windows and mirrors -- a premium touch, given its sub-$14,000 price -- while SE models add a body-colored grille. The grille is slightly different between the sedan and hatch. Fifteen-inch alloy wheels are optional on the Fiesta SE. The SEL sedan and SES hatch get 16-inch alloys, along with some nice lighting elements.

The Fiesta's sole offering, a 120-horsepower, 1.6-liter four-cylinder, moves the car capably around town. Getting up to highway speeds requires a steady prod on the accelerator, and uphill stretches call up the engine's full reserves to maintain speed, but this is the norm in the entry-level class. The Fiesta's optional six-speed, dual-clutch auto is mechanically impressive. As is often the case for dual-clutch automatics, however, it isn't the smoothest. Encounter stopped traffic on a city boulevard, and pulling out to pass requires a long gap -- not because the Fiesta's engine can't muster the power, but because the automatic takes so bloody long to kick down. That said, in undemanding situations, the automatic behaves like any other. With a five-speed manual transmission, Ford expects the Fiesta to earn EPA ratings of 29/38 mpg (city/highway); the dual-clutch automatic will get an even better 30/38 mpg, an engineer estimated. An optional Superior Fuel Economy Package on the automatic-equipped Fiesta SE, which adds aerodynamic enhancements and low-rolling-resistance tires, bumps that up to 30/40 mpg. Those figures top the current class-leader -- in the automatic SFE's case, by around 10 percent. As is common in this class, the Fiesta employs disc brakes up front and drums in back; antilock braking is standard. The Fiesta's pedal feels reasonably linear.

The Fiesta's sole offering, a 120-horsepower, 1.6-liter four-cylinder, moves the car capably around town. Getting up to highway speeds requires a steady prod on the accelerator, and uphill stretches call up the engine's full reserves to maintain speed, but this is the norm in the entry-level class. The Fiesta's optional six-speed, dual-clutch auto is mechanically impressive. As is often the case for dual-clutch automatics, however, it isn't the smoothest. Encounter stopped traffic on a city boulevard, and pulling out to pass requires a long gap -- not because the Fiesta's engine can't muster the power, but because the automatic takes so bloody long to kick down. That said, in undemanding situations, the automatic behaves like any other. With a five-speed manual transmission, Ford expects the Fiesta to earn EPA ratings of 29/38 mpg (city/highway); the dual-clutch automatic will get an even better 30/38 mpg, an engineer estimated. An optional Superior Fuel Economy Package on the automatic-equipped Fiesta SE, which adds aerodynamic enhancements and low-rolling-resistance tires, bumps that up to 30/40 mpg. Those figures top the current class-leader -- in the automatic SFE's case, by around 10 percent. As is common in this class, the Fiesta employs disc brakes up front and drums in back; antilock braking is standard. The Fiesta's pedal feels reasonably linear.